Board says fatal shooting by Ohio police was OK use of force

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Police in Ohio's capital city say two officers who fatally shot a black man last summer followed department policy on using force.

Columbus police on Wednesday announced the review board's findings about the conduct of officers Samuel James and Marc Johnson in the shooting of 30-year-old Kareem Ali Nadir Jones last July .

Police say they spotted Jones walking between cars and behaving erratically, then fired when his behavior escalated into a perceived threat. Police say body camera video shows Jones reaching for a gun in his waistband.

His sister has said she thinks Jones was trying to toss the gun.

The officers weren't charged but face a lawsuit alleging the shooting was unjustified and they conspired to provide misleading information about what happened.

The local police union has denied those allegations.

The lawsuit also alleged Columbus police have practices and policies that allow for or encourage unreasonable force, despite a previous U.S. Justice Department lawsuit against Columbus over its use-of-force practices. The Justice Department dropped that matter in 2002 after concluding Columbus had made policy changes to help curb racial profiling and excessive force by police.